يا بدْرُ لا أفْلُ ولا محاقُ
ولا يَرُمْ مشرقَكَ الإشراقُ
O full moon, you do not set or disappear,
Nor does your radiance decline at sunrise,
بِالدّينِ وَالدّنيا الَّذي يَشكو وَهَل
يَهتَزُّ فَرعٌ لَم يُقِمْهُ ساقُ
Whoever complains of religion and life, does he not see
A branch shake unless its roots are firm?
لَن تُورِقَ القُضْبُ وَيَجري ماؤُها
إِلّا إِذا ما اِلتاثَتِ الأَعراقُ
The rod will not blossom and its water flow
Unless its branches intertwine.
إنّ الرَّعايا ما سَلِمَتْ في حِمىً
لِلخَطْبِ عَن طُروقِهِ إِطراقُ
The commoners are not safe under protection
If discord keeps them separated.
غَرَسْتَ بِالعَدلِ لَهُم خَمائِلاً
تَرتَعُ في حَديقِها الحداقُ
You planted for them gardens of justice
Where gazelles feed and partridges crow.
يا هضبَةَ الدينِ الّتي عاذَ بها
فَعادَ لا بَغتٌ وَلا إِرهاقُ
O plateau of religion in whose shade
One finds no oppression or exhaustion.
لَو لَم تُحِطْهُ راحِلاً وَقافِلاً
أَصبَحَ لا شامٌ ولا عِراقُ
Had you not hosted the rider and caravan,
There would be no Syria or Iraq.
عِمادُ دِينٍ قد أقام زَيْغَهُ
حيّ وماتَ الشِّرْكُ والنّفاقُ
A pillar of faith who set its leaning straight,
Alive while polytheism and hypocrisy died.
يا مُحْييَ العَدلِ الَّذي في ظِلِّهِ
تَسَرْبَلَتْ زينَتَها الآفاقُ
O reviver of justice whose shade
Adorned the horizons with its gown.
يَفديكَ مَن لانَ مهاد جَنبِهِ
لَمّا نَبا بِجَنبِكَ الإِقْلاقُ
May he who softened his resting place ransom you
When anxiety resided next to you.
مَن بِشَبا سَيفِكَ أَنبَطت لَهُ ال
عَذْبَ وماءُ عِيسِه زُعاقُ
With your sword’s youth was quenched
Pure water and bitter Zo3āq.
تَجَرَّعَ السّمَّ وَلَوْ لَم تَحمِهِ
بِحدّه لَعَزَّهُ الدّرياقُ
He gulped poison had your sharp edge
Not protected him from lethal Draiq.
مُلوكُ أَطرافٍ حَمى أَطرافَها
عَزْمُك هَذا اللّاحِقُ السّبّاقُ
Kings of lands whose borders you protected,
Your resolve precedes, pursuing victoriously.
لَو لَم ترق ماءَ كرى العَينِ لَمَا
ساغَت بِأَفواهِهِمُ الأرياقُ
Had you not shed tears, their mouths
Would not have tolerated sweet wine.
شَقَقتَ من دونِهم مَوْج الرَّدى
وَشَقَّ أَكبادَهم الشّقاقُ
You split the waves of adversity for them
While discord split their hearts.
أُقسِمُ لَو كَلّفْتهم أَن يَسمَعوا
حَديثَ أيّامكَ ما أَطاقوا
I swear had you tasked them with hearing
Tales of your days, they could not endure.
لَمّا اِشتَكَيتَ دَبَّ في أَهوائِهم
توجُّسٌ للسَّمع واسْتِراقُ
When you complained, their suspicions crept in,
Fearing to hear while trying to steal a listen.
تَطاوَلَوا لا عَدِمَت آمالُهُم
قصراً ولا جانَبَها الإِخفاقُ
They overreached but their hopes fell short,
While failure kept its distance.
تَوَهَّمُوهَا غَسقاً ثُمَّ اِنْجَلَتْ
والصَّفْوُ من مشربهم غسّاقُ
They fancied it as darkness then it shone,
While the pure part of their drink was filthy.
لَئِن ألَمَّ ألَمٌ بِقَدمٍ
خَدُّ السُّها لِنعْلِها طرّاقُ
If a sandal pained his foot
The cheek of good fortune is perforated.
أو كان مدَّ يَده إلى يدٍ
تجري بها الآجال والأرزاقُ
Or if he extended his hand to one
Whose fate and provision flow.
فالنَّصْل يُعْلَى صَدَءاً وتحتهُ
حدّ حسام وسناً رقراقُ
The blade then is lifted lightly while beneath it
Lies a sharp sword and polished teeth.
رَمى الصَّليبَ بِصَليبِ الرأيِ عَن
زوراءَ أَوْهَى نزْعَها الإغراقُ
With the cross of reason he flung aside
The cross of delusion, broken in its falseness.
ونومُ مَنْ خلفَ الخليج سَهَرٌ
والعَيشُ في فِرِنجَة سيّاقُ
Those beyond the gulf sleep while life
In Europe is misery's succession.
ماتوا فلا همسٌ ولا إشارةٌ
خوفَ هَمُوسٍ زأْرُهُ إزهاقُ
They died with no whispers or gestures,
Fearing the growling threat of strangulation.
لا سَلَبَتْ منك اللّيالي ما كَسَتْ
ولا عرتْ جِدَّتَك الإخلاقُ
Neither did the nights steal from you what they covered,
Nor did your manners fail you.
